Review Roundup: Critics Sound Off on Michael Shannon Led TURRET at A Red Orchid Theatre

What did critics think of A Red Orchid Theatre's World Premiere production of TURRET, written and directed by Ensemble Member Levi Holloway? TURRET runs through June 9, 2024 at The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W Division in Chicago. Check out the photos below and video clips above!

The cast is led by Michael Shannon (Green), Travis A. Knight (Rabbit), and Lawrence Grimm (Birdy).

Two men survive in a facility deep underground somewhere in the wild woods of the Pacific Northwest, hiding away from something terrible looming just outside. Ensnared in a relentless loop of endless tomorrows, they discover the wolf isn’t at the door, he’s already inside, waiting in the creeping darkness all around them. TURRET is an excavation of masculinity, love, loss and isolation; a claustrophobic carnival of carnage, carrier pigeons, cribbage, whiskey, music, mischief and mayhem. 

Let's see what the critics had to say!

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune: The resulting production is really something: I’ve watched Shannon on stage and screen for some 30 years and this performance is right up there with his best work, especially when it comes to his longstanding ability to dissect masculinity and reveal one of those men who feels deeply but so lacks the language of emotional vulnerability that his communication skills are authoritarian at best and, at worst, bestial.

Catey Sullivan, Chicago Sun-Times: Don’t dally if you want tickets: Shannon’s program bio doesn’t mention his Oscar nominations (“Revolutionary Road,” “Nocturnal Animals”), but when the big screen/Broadway/"Boardwalk Empire” veteran shows up in a Red Orchid cast, you can safely assume tickets will be in high demand. Wisely, A Red Orchid has moved “Turret” from the company’s tiny, hallowed Old Town space to West Town’s roomier Chopin Theatre.

Rachel Weinberg, BroadwayWorld: Ultimately, I find TURRET perplexing. Sure, it’s a slow-burning dystopian story, but I wish the play itself had given us a little more to chew on and that Holloway had revealed more answers sooner. I think then that would give more room for the underlying questions posed about the nature of human existence. While some of the play’s aims are murky, the performances are crystal clear and fully realized. 

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